Print systems, particularly those used in commercial environments, generally comprise one or more computers connected to a plurality of printers by means of some data link, for example, a computer network. The printers convert print data, generated in the computers, into hard-copy output. The computers will generally include one or more application programs from which print data is generated for output to one or more of the printers. The print data for a particular print ‘job’ usually comprises a page description language (PDL) file describing the physical content of the printable area, and a job description language (JDL) file for describing other attributes of the print job, such as the number of copies to be printed.
The processing of print jobs will involve the use of some medium onto which the print job will be produced, e.g. paper, cardboard, labels, acetate transparencies, envelopes. The type of media to be used will be specified in the JDL file attached to the print job. The JDL file may also further define the medium in terms of its type or weight, e.g. pink 100 gram paper, white 250 gram paper. Many printers also comprise some finishing apparatus, such as laminators, binders etc. The use of such apparatus will also require media, for example, laminating covers, binding spines and so on. Again, the fact that a print job should be processed on a printer having a particular finishing apparatus, and the media required for that finishing apparatus will be specified in the JDL file.
In order for a print system to work efficiently, it is important that a supply of the appropriate media is made available. Delays in printing caused by a lack of appropriate media can be costly in terms of failing to meet required deadlines. This is particularly important in commercial environments where time is an important factor and where customers specify a particular time when they would like the printing completed. Since it is difficult to predict the exact amount and type of the media required, and at what time, it is common practice for a relatively large amount of each media to be stored. This has disadvantages in that the media has to be bought in bulk, and requires large storage space, which can be expensive. This is further complicated by the fact that some types of media need to be stored under certain environmental conditions, e.g. at a certain humidity. In cases where a number of printers are used over a relatively large site, several storage areas may have to be provided.